In my view this film is criminally underrated! It's a lot more clever than many have given it credit for. "What are you people, stupid? There's a murderer on the train!". It's also a great idea to watch Hitchcock's Strangers On A Train not long before watching this film. This is a funny crazy Hitchcock tribute/parody with three great performances, including the Oscar nominated Anne Ramsey role. DeVito also directs the film.
The memories I have of this film are honestly about as crazy as the film itself. Some backstory is needed. I use to know these Asian gangsters through a school friend, they were based in a far different part of the city than where I lived. On occasion I would go and hang out and party with these guys. The leader of this group of guys that I knew, his favorite American film just happened to be this one, (He was only 16 at this time when I first met them, I was just about to turn 15. At 16 he was a lower level leader, but he was clearly involved in what was definitely a very organized and elaborate Asian gang I came to find out over time. Though there were also many white members, at least at the lower levels.). When these kids walked around their area of the city, believe me, most other kids just stayed the hell away from them, it was almost as if a sea of kids would part before them like Moses at the Red Sea. At the mall, at transit stations, just walking down the street etc, it was very noticeable. The odd kid would seem timidly friendly to them, but most just completely scurried away. Many girls were fairly friendly with them, but even they often seemed nervous at the same time. One of the reasons the kids would scurry became actually quite obvious to me after hanging out with them a few times. If Joe, the leader saw a kid with a hat or sports jersey he liked, it was a simple his or else kind of deal. They'd give him the shirt right off their backs. Joe wouldn't even do anything but talk, his guys did all the dirty work 100% of the time from all I ever saw. I could tell quite a few crazy stories about hanging with these guys, but only one really relates to this film, so I'll leave it at the one.
I recall one time being with some of them by a mall mid-evening and Joe said to one of his guys, "Go get us a copy of Throw Momma From The Train.". So this kid went into a store and stole a copy, (It's not as if he had much choice of course, that's the way they were. None of these kids said no to Joe without severe consequences, so honestly, I never noticed even one of them not do exactly as he said, and he often had demands for them.). Joe said he had lent his last copy to someone else, and they had not yet returned it. We all, about 8 or 9 of us that night went back to Joe's house, started smoking some bowls of hash while Joe had someone put the film on. The hash we had actually scored earlier in the day when Joe traded in some goods at one of his regular fences. At any point in the film, if one of the guys started to pass out, Joe would hairspray their pants and set their legs on fire. Which of course got about as many laughs as the movie was getting. Watching a kid wake up out of a stoned stupor and frantically pat his legs out was pretty hilarious. Anyway, this is just one of my many memories of watching this film in the late 1980's. I actually ended up watching this film probably at least 3 different times at Joe's place.
For whatever reason and I'm really not sure why, but right away Joe seemed to like me and the guy never once tried to pressure me into anything. He treated me entirely different than any of his gang members. I worked a lot of construction with my father as a kid, so I was quite strong as well as always one of the bigger kids my age, so perhaps he liked the look of a stranger like me in his area of the city just walking around with his gang, but really that's just a total guess. I really have no idea why we got on so well exactly, but I also noticed that he had many sides and strategies going on in his mind and in his actions. For instance in the vicinity of where Joe actually lived, he was super polite and respectful to everyone in the neighborhood. The common people there would likely tell the police he was a very respectful boy, lol. He would even tip the clerk at the corner store down the street from his place when buying smokes or whatever. However you get a few blocks away from his house, and he seemed like a totally different animal. In these areas he demanded respect or else, and he seemed to have respect for very few people out of his own neighborhood, but in his general area of the city. Joe, for all his criminal faults, (And believe me he had a ton of them.) was a pretty sharp guy for sure, and he just loved this film. I too had a great appreciation for this film before I had even met them, and I still do to this day.
"Wanna see my coin collection?"
8/10.
The memories I have of this film are honestly about as crazy as the film itself. Some backstory is needed. I use to know these Asian gangsters through a school friend, they were based in a far different part of the city than where I lived. On occasion I would go and hang out and party with these guys. The leader of this group of guys that I knew, his favorite American film just happened to be this one, (He was only 16 at this time when I first met them, I was just about to turn 15. At 16 he was a lower level leader, but he was clearly involved in what was definitely a very organized and elaborate Asian gang I came to find out over time. Though there were also many white members, at least at the lower levels.). When these kids walked around their area of the city, believe me, most other kids just stayed the hell away from them, it was almost as if a sea of kids would part before them like Moses at the Red Sea. At the mall, at transit stations, just walking down the street etc, it was very noticeable. The odd kid would seem timidly friendly to them, but most just completely scurried away. Many girls were fairly friendly with them, but even they often seemed nervous at the same time. One of the reasons the kids would scurry became actually quite obvious to me after hanging out with them a few times. If Joe, the leader saw a kid with a hat or sports jersey he liked, it was a simple his or else kind of deal. They'd give him the shirt right off their backs. Joe wouldn't even do anything but talk, his guys did all the dirty work 100% of the time from all I ever saw. I could tell quite a few crazy stories about hanging with these guys, but only one really relates to this film, so I'll leave it at the one.
I recall one time being with some of them by a mall mid-evening and Joe said to one of his guys, "Go get us a copy of Throw Momma From The Train.". So this kid went into a store and stole a copy, (It's not as if he had much choice of course, that's the way they were. None of these kids said no to Joe without severe consequences, so honestly, I never noticed even one of them not do exactly as he said, and he often had demands for them.). Joe said he had lent his last copy to someone else, and they had not yet returned it. We all, about 8 or 9 of us that night went back to Joe's house, started smoking some bowls of hash while Joe had someone put the film on. The hash we had actually scored earlier in the day when Joe traded in some goods at one of his regular fences. At any point in the film, if one of the guys started to pass out, Joe would hairspray their pants and set their legs on fire. Which of course got about as many laughs as the movie was getting. Watching a kid wake up out of a stoned stupor and frantically pat his legs out was pretty hilarious. Anyway, this is just one of my many memories of watching this film in the late 1980's. I actually ended up watching this film probably at least 3 different times at Joe's place.
For whatever reason and I'm really not sure why, but right away Joe seemed to like me and the guy never once tried to pressure me into anything. He treated me entirely different than any of his gang members. I worked a lot of construction with my father as a kid, so I was quite strong as well as always one of the bigger kids my age, so perhaps he liked the look of a stranger like me in his area of the city just walking around with his gang, but really that's just a total guess. I really have no idea why we got on so well exactly, but I also noticed that he had many sides and strategies going on in his mind and in his actions. For instance in the vicinity of where Joe actually lived, he was super polite and respectful to everyone in the neighborhood. The common people there would likely tell the police he was a very respectful boy, lol. He would even tip the clerk at the corner store down the street from his place when buying smokes or whatever. However you get a few blocks away from his house, and he seemed like a totally different animal. In these areas he demanded respect or else, and he seemed to have respect for very few people out of his own neighborhood, but in his general area of the city. Joe, for all his criminal faults, (And believe me he had a ton of them.) was a pretty sharp guy for sure, and he just loved this film. I too had a great appreciation for this film before I had even met them, and I still do to this day.
"Wanna see my coin collection?"
8/10.